Every human body consists of a network of lymph vessels and lymph nodes. This network helps to collect all fluids and other things that are present in the tissues of the body. These lymph vessels act like veins that help to collect all the blood throughout the body. But lymph nodes instead of collecting blood, carry the watery fluid known as lymph.
These lymph nodes help to transfer the fluid through the nodes that are present all over the human body. Lymph nodes are small parts that act like filters for removal of all harmful substances.
Cancer in the Lymph Nodes
Cancer can come up in lymph nodes by either entering into lymph nodes from other organs or they may start from there. When the cancer starts in the lymph nodes then it is known by the term lymphoma.It spreads from where it started to other organs in the body. When the cancer cells break away from a tumor then they can pass onto other organs in the body through the bloods or the lymph nodes. Some distant organs can also come under access of the cancer cells.
But in both cases, most of the cancer cells dies or killed before they can start developing in some other part of the body. When any one or two start growing in another part of the body then they form new tumors and this process is called upon by the name metastasis.
Body Changes in Lymph Node Cancer
When cancer cells spread to other parts of the body then they pass through several changes like they become able to detach from the original tumor and can attach themselves to the blood vessel walls. Another change is that they have to pass through the walls of the blood vessels to provide blood or lymph to other lymph nodes and body parts.
When the cancer cells start growing in the lymph nodes then the lymph nodes of the tumor are the first one to get affected and actually these are the nodes that help to remove other cancer cells.
Types of Symptoms of Lymph Node Cancer
There are two types of lymph node cancer ad discussed below with their symptoms. The first sign of lymph node cancer is swelling in the lymph nodes.
It is a form of lymph node cancer in which the person suffering from it passes through excessive night sweats, hot flashes, excessive weight loss, fatigue, shivering with high fever.
The form of lymph node cancer is known as non-Hodgkin cancer. The major cases of lymph nodes cancer are of this type. However, the symptoms of both these types of cancer are the same.
The risk of lymph node cancer is more if you have it in your family history. Excessive exposure to herbicides and pest control chemicals also give rise to the risk of lymph node cancer. But don’t worry as it is curable when detected at the early stage. The right approach to lymph node cancer helps to overcome with this problem or any other type of cancer.
Photo Credit: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/swollen-glands-lymph-nodes